Partnerships in mental healthcare service delivery in low-resource settings: developing an innovative network in rural Nepal.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
BACKGROUND: Mental illnesses are the largest contributors to the global burden of non-communicable diseases. However, there is extremely limited access to high quality, culturally-sensitive, and contextually-appropriate mental healthcare services. This situation persists despite the availability of interventions with proven efficacy to improve patient outcomes. A partnerships network is necessary for successful program adaptation and implementation. PARTNERSHIPS NETWORK: We describe our partnerships network as a case example that addresses challenges in delivering mental healthcare and which can serve as a model for similar settings. Our perspectives are informed from integrating mental healthcare services within a rural public hospital in Nepal. Our approach includes training and supervising generalist health workers by off-site psychiatrists. This is made possible by complementing the strengths and weaknesses of the various groups involved: the public sector, a non-profit organization that provides general healthcare services and one that specializes in mental health, a community advisory board, academic centers in high- and low-income countries, and bicultural professionals from the diaspora community. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a partnerships model to assist implementation of promising programs to expand access to mental healthcare in low- resource settings. We describe the success and limitations of our current partners in a mental health program in rural Nepal.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Acharya, B; Maru, D; Schwarz, R; Citrin, D; Tenpa, J; Hirachan, S; Basnet, M; Thapa, P; Swar, S; Halliday, S; Kohrt, B; Luitel, NP; Hung, E; Gauchan, B; Pokharel, R; Ekstrand, M
Published Date
- January 13, 2017
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 13 / 1
Start / End Page
- 2 -
PubMed ID
- 28086925
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC5237195
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1744-8603
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1186/s12992-016-0226-0
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- England